Arghhh

Nikon D200 @ 80mm, 1/80 sec, f/6.3, ISO 125

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Man, what a difference a couple of weeks can make. I've had quite a lot going on recently and this coupled with the fact that I'm heading down to London for a six month stint in a week's time has meant that the blog has been relegated to the bottom of the pile.

So the first thing you'll probably notice is a couple of entries in the exif data that you've not seen before. I've only managed a couple of outings with the D200 so far but I have to admit that I've been mightily impressed with its performance. I'll be sure to report back a little more thoroughly and attempt to justify (if I can) the upgrade.

I took this shot on Monday on what was a rather impromptu, but much welcomed, visit from the lovely Jem at shutterjunkie. She finally took me up on my offer to give her a tour of the wonderful city of Edinburgh, although it turned out that I wasn't much of a tour guide (my knowledge is pretty much limited to reading the tourist info signs)! It was the last day of the festival (I think) and the weather wasn't particularly great so the streets weren't quite as busy as they normally are at the weekend. But there was still a handful of the usual entertaining street performers, so we managed to get some shots in.

Anyway, was a really good day so thank you Jem for puting up with the horrible train journey to get here. It's amazing what she'll do just to get her hands on a Nikon :)

Hung Up

Nikon D70 @ 102mm, 1/200 sec, f/5, ISO 200

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Thanks for all of your comments on my last post - they're very much appreciated. Everything is/will be fine with me - it always works out in the end.

You might think that my lack of updates has been as a result of no new material. Well, I think it's actually the opposite - I've got too many files to go through and don't know where to start! I think I must have taken about 3,000 shots over the last few weekends. I also took some wedding snaps as the "back-up" photographer, so they're taking priority at the moment. I'm sure I'll post some of the shots and let you know about the experience in more detail.

As for this one, it was taken a couple of weekends ago at the Edinburgh Fringe. Not part of the festival, it's just a plain old red telephone box with an ordinary guy in it. But I was really attracted to the shot and had to react quickly to get it. I just managed to take this as he hung up. I liked how the scratches on the windows prevented me from seeing the person's face - makes it a bit more mysterious!

Oh, and here's a link to a bigger version.

Empty

Nikon D70 @ 175mm, 1 sec, f/5.3, ISO 200

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Alright on the Night

Nikon D70 @ 80mm, 3 secs, f/10, ISO 200

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Took this one tonight from the top of Carlton (or is it Calton?) Hill looking down Princes Street. You can see Edinburgh Castle on the left and the tower on the right is the Balmoral Hotel. Minimal PP on this one.

I was wanting to get some shots of the fireworks going off for the tattoo but a number of reasons meant that I didn't get the shots I wanted:

1. By the time the fireworks went off it was too dark and there wasn't enough light to provide sufficient shadow details;

2. My ML-L3 remote control decided not to work exactly at the point the fireworks were set off; and

3. I was using the wrong lens and only got half of the firework trails in the frame.

So all in all not very successful! But I did meet another professional photographer and had a nice chat with him. He was using a D2X and so understandably I was very jealous! I've actually been toying with the idea of getting a new (camera) body... the D200. Ironically enough it's as a result of all of the hype surrounding the D80 - I finally read a few reviews of the more recent Nikon cameras, the D200 being one of them. Looks like a very impressive camera and has exactly the specs I'm looking for. I wonder if anyone out there has upgraded to a D200 from a D70 and would like to share their views?

The Performer

Nikon D70 @ mm, sec, f/, ISO

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This guy has to be my favourite street performer, probably because he reminds me of an old fujimugs friend (I won't say who!). He plays his 80s music and moves to its beats, in what seems to be his own unique interpretation of the robot dance (the fluid, easy moving version). He can usually be found on Princes Street on a Saturday - look out for the mark on the pavement which is left from him spraypainting his feet silver!

This one was taken a few weekends ago as he ventured into the crowd to shake a little girl's hand.

The Guilty Secret

Nikon D70 @ 20mm, 1/80 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200

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I have to be honest, I do like this one. I think the positive response to my "Urban Deriliction" thread on dpreview.com put me in the mood to take some more of these kind of shots. And having finally bought myself a proper camera bag, the Lowepro Mini Trekker AW, I knew I could outrun any dodgy characters found down these slightly shady alleys in Glasgae. But I welcomed this fellow who provided a much needed human element to the shot.

This is another example of a shot that looks cr@p when resized for the web so here's a link to a larger version.

Would welcome your thoughts on this one - does it work for you?

All Dressed Up

Nikon D70 @ 86mm, 1/800 sec, f/4.8, ISO 200

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One of the many street performers that can be found on the Royal Mile, especially now that the festival has kicked off.

empty

Nikon D70 @ 100mm, 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO

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Because of the great response to my "jazz" photos, I thought I'd post one more :)

The Clap

Nikon D70 @ 150mm, 1/640 sec, f/8, ISO 200

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Another shot taken from the Jazz festival on Sunday, the audience here showing their appreciation for the music.

A cross tone effect was applied in PS.

All that Jazz

Nikon D70 @ 18mm, 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 200

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Just a nice little snap showing how busy it was at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival on Sunday. I can't say I'm a huge jazz fan, but the good weather and the great atmosphere made it a really nice day. The venue was the Ross Theatre in Princes Street Gardens.